Now we can get down to serious politics

We can now rejoice. We have weathered the Republican National Committee's nominating extravaganza and if we can withstand another few days of the Democratic Convention, we can get down to serious politics. Having listened to all the Republican speakers, it will at least be a change of pace to hear what Hillary will do for our nation.

Whether we agree with Donald Trump or are willing to try anything to change the Washington establishment, he at least orchestrated a show of the Trump family. They are a testament to the fact that money can provide opportunities unavailable to those whose financial resources are limited. A make-up professional knows how to accentuate the best features of one's appearance. And, when you start with the near perfect model -- it isn't hard to produce a very attractive, eye-appealing family.

A great deal of what Donald Trump says would be much more appealing if he chose to express it a bit more subtly. Perhaps the problem is knowing how to say it in a more sensitive manner. That is, maybe, foreign to him. So much of what I see and hear comes from a man who was taught how to get things accomplished in a world many of us don't understand. Ask any New York (City) politician how they see Donald Trump and I will bet the majority have positive remarks about his success. Ask any of the union laborers on his worksite and I would wager they have positive comments about him as their boss. Check with the union leadership and I suspect they will say he is abrupt but fair and expects a day's work (in their terms) for a day's pay.

Basically these observations on my part, if they are correct, might be a bit foreign to most of the Midwest and would require some tweaking of words to fit the construction activities on the West Coast. I might be far afield in my thinking, but the New Yorkers I met in the military would not think Mr. Trump strange at all. When Senator Cruz of Texas referred to New York values, I would offer he heard not so much "values" as "mannerisms." I witnessed the light construction trades as a teenager at my uncle's company in Springfield and that would be rather rough and foreign to many outsiders.

Whether Donald Trump is the answer to our nation's ills or just a mirage on the landscape, I do not know. What I heard from people at the convention in interviews is much the same as I hear in local conversations. If you can't find a job or can't stretch the paycheck from one payday to the next, any prospect for improvement is inviting. We hear Donald say he stands between us and Wall Street. That is refreshing because Hillary Clinton stands with Wall Street, tied to speaking fees for her and our former president.

Whether we build a wall between us and Mexico is yet to be determined. Someone has to pay for all the things Trump has promised and repairing our decaying infrastructure along with wiping out ISIS and balancing the budget deficit is a tall order even with Governor Pence of Indiana -- our Republican vice president choice -- at his side. I would rather have John Kasich of Ohio in Trump's place, but he apparently isn't showman enough to get elected.

But, we do have to give Mr. Trump credit for covering almost all of the nation's ills in his acceptance speech. His 72-minute speech (that number was from the news media) apparently read from a teleprompter, proves he knows what we are facing as a nation. His selection of people as advisors will be a test of his ego and his managerial ability if he is successful being elected to serve in the White House.

So, come November, we will cast our vote and pray that we made the best possible decision given the fact that one vote -- no matter who is in this campaign -- can't change the final outcome.

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Editor's note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. A native of Benton County, he is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. The views expressed are those of the writer. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Editorial on 07/27/2016